Web site Boolify makes advanced web searches easy through a simple drag-and-drop interface. Intended as an educational tool, Boolify teaches users how to create boolean searches in Google using operators like OR and NOT (-) to get very specific search results. Boolean searching isn't new by any means, but if you've never gotten the hang of it or you just prefer a more visual approach, Boolify is worth a look. If you're way past this, then our top 10 obscure Google search tricks may be more up your alley. Boolify Project

iPhone/iPod touch web site Springlets adds quick search bookmarklets to your device's home screen for commonly searched sites like Wikipedia, IMDB, and a handy Google I'm Feeling Lucky search, among others. If you're using an iPhone, Springlets can also add speed-dial shortcuts to the home screen. On the iPhone, more even than on your desktop, loading entire web pages just to find a search box is a major waste of time, which makes Springlets a brilliant little idea. I've been using the WebSearch app for these kind of searches, but if you're not jailbroken or you'd prefer these links directly on your home screen, Springlets to the rescue. It's like the fine art of keyword bookmarking, only for your phone. Springlets

When it comes to the Google search box, you already know the tricks: like searching for exact phrases in quotes like "so say we all" or searching a single site using site:lifehacker.com gmail. But there are many more oblique, clever, and lesser-known search recipes and operators that work from that unassuming little text box. Dozens of Google search guides detail the tips you already know, but today we're skipping the obvious and highlighting our favorite obscure Google web search tricks.

The latest version of our current favorite Windows app launcher, Launchy, saw several nice interface updates and some plug-in improvements in the latest release, and one hugely useful feature improvement that may have snuck in under your radar is the impressively updated Weby plugin, which adds simple customization of web searches directly inside of Launchy's preference pane. For example, reader Nicholai say he prefers the lightning quick definitions from web site Definr, so he simply added Definr to the Weby plug-in by clicking the '+' button, titled the site Definr, added http://definr.com/ in the URL box, and put %s (your search term) in the query section. Likewise, another reader is searching his Gmail from Launchy with Weby. Granted, you can accomplish similar tasks with keyword bookmarks in Firefox, but the improved Weby plug-in works like a charm, too. Thanks Nicholai!

Windows only: Look through, and repeat, your recent searches on Google, Yahoo and MSN with MyLastSearch, a free, tiny application that makes your browser histories more useful. The program supports Mozilla products and Internet Explorer (Opera and, presumably, Safari for Windows are left out), lets you search through your, er, searches, and can re-open queries in the same browser they were made in. Those who set their browsers to wipe clean their history on exit are, of course, not going to get much here, but it's an otherwise useful tool to help find that great link you can't remember how you got to before. MyLastSearch is a free download for Windows systems only, and can be run easily from a portable drive.
MyLastSearch

Google now allows you to "join" one of their Experimental Web Search projects to give 'em a test drive. Our favourite is still the Gmail-like j/k keyboard shortcuts experiment.